Household Food Security in the United States, 2001

Transcription

1 United States Department United States of Agriculture Department of Agriculture Economic Research Economic Service Research Service Food Assistance and Food Nutrition Assistance Research and Nutrition Report Number Research 29Report Number 19-1 Measuring Food Security in the United States Household Food Security in the United States, 2001 Mark Nord Margaret Andrews Steven Carlson Food Assistance & Nutrition Research Program

2 Household Food Security in the United States, By Mark Nord, Margaret Andrews, and Steven Carlson. Food and Rural Economics Division, Economic Research Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Food Assistance and Nutrition Research Report No. 29. Abstract Eighty-nine percent of American households were food secure throughout the entire year The rest were food insecure at least some time during the year, meaning they did not always have access to enough food for active, healthy lives for all household members because they lacked sufficient money or other resources for food. The prevalence of food insecurity rose from 10.1 percent in 1999 to 10.7 percent in 2001, and the prevalence of food insecurity with hunger rose from 3.0 percent to 3.3 percent during the same period. This report, based on data from the December 2001 food security survey, provides the most recent statistics on the food security of U.S. households, as well as on how much they spent for food and the extent to which food-insecure households participated in Federal and community food assistance programs. Survey responses indicate that the typical food-secure household in the United States spent 32 percent more than the typical food-insecure household of the same size and household composition. About one-half of all food-insecure households participated in one or more of the three largest Federal food assistance programs during the month prior to the survey. About 19 percent of food-insecure households 2.8 percent of all U.S. households obtained emergency food from a food pantry at some time during the year. Keywords: Food security, food insecurity, hunger, food spending, food pantry, soup kitchen, emergency kitchen, material well-being, Food Stamp Program, National School Lunch Program, WIC. About the Authors Mark Nord and Margaret Andrews work in the Food and Rural Economics Division, Economic Research Service (ERS), U.S. Department of Agriculture. Nord is Team Leader for Food Stamp and Food Security Research, and Andrews is Assistant Deputy Director for Food Stamp Research in the Food Assistance and Nutrition Research Program. Steven Carlson is Director of Family Programs Staff in the Office of Analysis, Nutrition, and Evaluation, Food and Nutrition Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture. Acknowledgments The authors thank the following reviewers for their critical and insightful reviews of the report: Gail Harrison, School of Public Health, University of California, Los Angeles; Linda Ghelfi and David Smallwood, Economic Research Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture M Street, NW Washington, DC October 2002

3 Contents Summary iii Introduction Section 1. Household Food Security Methods Prevalence of Food Insecurity and Hunger National Conditions and Trends Prevalence of Food Insecurity and Hunger Conditions and Trends, by Selected Household Characteristics Food Insecurity and Hunger in Low-Income Households Number of Persons by Household Food Security Status and Household Type Prevalence of Food Insecurity and Hunger by State, Section 2. Household Spending on Food Methods Food Expenditures by Selected Household Characteristics Food Expenditures and Household Food Security Section 3. Use of Federal and Community Food Assistance Programs Methods Food Security and Food Spending of Households That Received Food Assistance Participation in Federal Food Assistance Programs by Food-Insecure Households Use of Food Pantries and Emergency Kitchens Use of Food Pantries and Emergency Kitchens by Food Security Status Use of Food Pantries by Selected Household Characteristics Combined Use of Federal and Community Food Assistance References Appendix A: Household Responses to Questions in the Food Security Scale Frequency of Occurrence of Behaviors, Experiences, and Conditions That Indicate Food Insecurity Appendix B: Background on the U.S. Food Security Measurement Project Appendix C: USDA s Thrifty Food Plan Appendix D: Changes in Prevalence of Food Insecurity and Hunger by State, (average) to (average) ii Household Food Security in the United States, 2001/FANRR-29 Economic Research Service/USDA

4 Summary Food security access by all people at all times to enough food for an active, healthy life declined in the United States from 1999 to The prevalence of food insecurity increased by 0.6 percentage points and the prevalence of hunger by 0.3 percentage points during the period. Food security is one of several necessary conditions for a population to be healthy and well nourished. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) monitors food security in the Nation s households through an annual survey of some 40,000 households conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau. The most recent food security survey reveals 89.3 percent of U.S. households were food secure throughout calendar year Food secure means they had access, at all times, to enough food for an active, healthy life for all household members. The remaining 10.7 percent of U.S. households (11.5 million) were food insecure. At some time during the year, these households were uncertain of having, or unable to acquire, enough food to meet basic needs of all their members because they had insufficient money or other resources. About one-third of food-insecure households (3.5 million, or 3.3 percent of all U.S. households) were food insecure to the extent that one or more household members were hungry at least some time during the year because they could not afford enough food. The other two-thirds of food-insecure households obtained enough food to avoid hunger, using a variety of coping strategies such as eating less varied diets, participating in Federal food assistance programs, or getting emergency food from community food pantries. The prevalence of hunger on any given day was much lower than the annual rate; on a typical day in 2001, about 0.4 to 0.6 percent of households 1 The rates of food insecurity and hunger observed in 2001 were only slightly higher than those observed in Comparisons of 2001 statistics are made to 1999 rather than to 2000 because seasonal effects related to the month in which the surveys were conducted may bias comparisons between 2000 and Further information on this issue is detailed in section 1. were food insecure with hunger. Children were hungry at times during the year in 211,000 households (0.6 percent of households with children) because the household lacked sufficient money or other resources for food. The amount households spend for food is an indicator of how adequately they are meeting their food needs. In 2001, the typical (median) U.S. household spent $37.50 per person for food each week. Weekly food spending by the typical household was about 32 percent higher than the cost of USDA s Thrifty Food Plan a low-cost food market basket that meets dietary standards, taking into account household size and the age and gender of household members. The typical food-secure household spent 35 percent more than the cost of the Thrifty Food Plan, while the typical food-insecure household spent 2 percent more than the cost of the Thrifty Food Plan. Some households participate in Federal food assistance programs or turn to community resources such as food pantries and emergency kitchens for help when they lack money to buy food. Among all food-insecure households: 51.5 percent received help from one or more of the three largest Federal food assistance programs food stamps, free or reduced-price school lunches, or WIC during the month prior to the survey; 18.6 percent obtained emergency food from a food pantry, church, or food bank during the 12 months prior to the survey; and 2.8 percent had members who ate at an emergency kitchen sometime during the 12 months prior to the survey. Some 3.0 million households 2.8 percent of all U.S. households reported getting emergency food from food pantries, churches, or food banks one or more times during Economic Research Service/USDA Household Food Security in the United States, 2001/FANRR-29 iii

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6 Measuring Food Security in the United States Household Food Security in the United States, 2001 Mark Nord Margaret Andrews Steven Carlson Introduction Since 1995, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has collected information annually on food spending, food access and adequacy, and sources of food assistance for the U.S. population. The information is collected in yearly food security surveys, conducted as a supplement to the nationally representative Current Population Survey (CPS). A major impetus for this data collection is to provide information about the prevalence of food insecurity and hunger in U.S. households. USDA reports in the series Measuring Food Security in the United States have summarized the findings of this research for each year from 1995 to (See appendix B for background on the development of the food security measures and a list of the reports.) This report updates the national statistics on food security, using data collected in the December 2001 food security survey. The report also updates the statistical series initiated in last year s report on household food spending, how food-insecure households use Federal and community food assistance, and the numbers of households using community food pantries and emergency kitchens. These statistics provide additional insight into the nature of food insecurity and how lowincome households meet their food needs. Unless otherwise noted, statistical differences described in the text are significant at the 90 percent confidence level. Economic Research Service/USDA Household Food Security in the United States, 2001/FANRR-29 1

7 Section 1. Household Food Security Food security access by all people at all times to enough food for an active, healthy life is one of several conditions necessary for a population to be healthy and well nourished. This section provides information on food security, food insecurity, and hunger in U.S. households based on the December 2001 food security survey the seventh annual survey in the Nation s food security monitoring system. Methods The results presented in all three sections of this report are based on data collected in the Current Population Survey (CPS) food security surveys for the years The statistics presented in section 1 are based on a measure of food security calculated from responses to a series of questions about conditions and behaviors known to characterize households having difficulty meeting basic food needs. 2 Each question asks whether the condition or behavior occurred during the previous 12 months and specifies a lack of money or other resources to obtain food as the reason for the condition or behavior. Voluntary fasting or dieting to lose weight is thereby excluded from the measure. Response frequencies for the 18 items used to classify households are provided in appendix A. Full-question wordings are presented in Bickel et al., 2000, and are available from the ERS Food Security Briefing Room at Interviewed households are classified into one of three categories food secure, food insecure without hunger, food insecure with hunger based on the number of 2 The methods used to measure the extent of food insecurity and hunger have been described in several places (Hamilton et al., 1997a, 1997b; Andrews et al., 1998; Bickel et al., 1998; Carlson et al., 1999; Bickel et al., 2000; Nord and Bickel, 2002). Further details on the development of the measure are provided in appendix B. Examples of Questions from the CPS Food Security Survey We worried whether our food would run out before we got money to buy more. Was that often, sometimes, or never true for you in the last 12 months? The food that we bought just didn't last and we didn't have money to get more. Was that often, sometimes, or never true for you in the last 12 months? In the last 12 months did you or other adults in the household ever cut the size of your meals or skip meals because there wasn't enough money for food? In the last 12 months were you ever hungry, but didn't eat, because you couldn't afford enough food? (For households with children) In the last 12 months did any of the children ever not eat for a whole day because there wasn't enough money for food? food-insecure conditions and behaviors the household reported. Households classified as food insecure with hunger that include children are further classified as to whether both children and adults were hungry or only adults. The presence of hunger among children in food-insecure households is measured by a subset of the food security questions that ask specifically about the conditions and experiences of children (Nord and Bickel, 2002). Appropriate weighting factors are then applied to the surveyed households to obtain nationally representative prevalence estimates. 2 Household Food Security in the United States, 2001/FANRR-29 Economic Research Service/USDA

8 Prevalence of Food Insecurity and Hunger National Conditions and Trends Eighty-nine percent of U.S. households were food secure throughout the entire year Food secure means that all household members had access at all times to enough food for an active, healthy life. The remaining 11.5 million U.S. households (10.7 percent of all households) were food insecure at some time during the year. That is, they were uncertain of having, or unable to acquire, enough food to meet basic needs for all household members because they had insufficient money and other resources for food. About twothirds of food-insecure households avoided hunger, in many cases by relying on a few basic foods and reducing variety in their diets. But 3.5 million households (3.3 percent of all U.S. households) were food insecure to the extent that one or more household members were hungry, at least some time during the year, because they couldn t afford enough food. In most households, children were protected from substantial reductions in food intake and ensuing hunger. However, in some 211,000 households (0.6 percent of households with children) food insecurity was sufficiently severe that one or more children in each household were also hungry on one or more days during the year because the household lacked money for enough food. In some households with more than one child, not all the children experienced hunger. In particular, younger children are often protected from hunger even when older children are not. When interpreting food security statistics, it is important to keep in mind that households are classified as food insecure, or food insecure with hunger if they experienced the condition at any time during the previous 12 months. The rates of food insecurity and hunger on any given day are far below the annual rates. For example, the prevalence of hunger on a typical day is estimated to be about 13 to 18 percent of the annual rate (see box), or 0.4 to 0.6 percent of households (460,000 to 630,000 households) on a typical day in How often were people hungry in households with hunger? When poverty-linked hunger occurs in the United States, it is, in most cases, occasional or episodic, not chronic. The food security scale on which the statistics in this report are based is designed to register these occasional or episodic occurrences. Most of the questions ask whether a condition, experience, or behavior occurred at any time in the past 12 months. Three of the questions ask how many months a specific condition or behavior occurred, but households can be classified as food insecure or hungry based on a single, severe episode during the year. It is important to keep this aspect of the scale in mind when interpreting food security and hunger statistics. ERS analysis of CPS Food Security Supplement data has found that: About one-third of the hunger measured by the standard 12-month measure is rare or occasional, occurring in only 1 or 2 months of the year. Two-thirds is recurring, experienced in 3 or more months of the year. For about one-fifth of households classified as food insecure and one-fourth of those classified as hungry, occurrence of the condition was frequent or chronic. That is, it occurred often, or in almost every month. The monthly prevalence of resource-constrained hunger in the United States is about 70 percent of the annual prevalence, and the daily prevalence of hunger is 13 to 18 percent of the annual prevalence. (Appendix A provides information on how often conditions indicating food insecurity and hunger occurred as reported by respondents to the December 2001 food security survey. See Nord et al., 2000, for further information about the frequency of food insecurity and hunger.) Economic Research Service/USDA Household Food Security in the United States, 2001/FANRR-29 3

9 The prevalence of food insecurity and hunger increased somewhat from 1999 to 2001 after having declined from 1995 to 1999 (fig. 1). 3 The year-to-year deviations from a consistent downward trend from 1995 to 2000 included a substantial 2-year cycle that is believed to result from a seasonal influence on food security prevalence rates (Cohen et al., 2002b). The CPS food security surveys over this period were conducted in April in odd-numbered years and August or September in even-numbered years. Measured prevalence of food insecurity was higher in the August/September collections, suggesting a seasonal response effect. In 2001, the survey was conducted in early December. Data collection is planned for December in future years, which will avoid further 3 Because of changes in screening procedures used to reduce respondent burden, food security statistics from 1995 to 1997 are not directly comparable with those from 1998 to Figure 1 presents statistics for the years 1995 to 2001, adjusted to be comparable across all years, as well as statistics for 1998 to 2001 based on data as collected. See Andrews et al. (2000) and Ohls et al. (2001) for detailed information about questionnaire screening and adjustments for comparability. Figure 1 Trends in prevalence of food insecurity and hunger in U.S. households, Percent of households Food insecure, data as collected (unadjusted)* Food insecure, adjusted for comparability in all years Food insecure with hunger, data as collected (unadjusted)* 2 Food insecure with hunger, adjusted for comparability in all years *Data as collected in are not directly comparable with data collected in Source: Calculated by ERS based on Current Population Survey Food Security Supplement data. problems of seasonality effects in interpreting annual changes. A smaller food security survey was also conducted in April 2001 to provide information to bridge the new December series to the previous years statistics, since seasonal effects of conducting the survey in December were unknown. Comparison of food security statistics from the April 2001 survey with those from April 1999 and December 2001 suggests that seasonal effects in early December were similar to those in April. At the national level, the measured prevalence of food insecurity was slightly higher and the prevalence of hunger was slightly lower in the December 2001 survey than in the April 2001 survey, but the differences were not statistically significant. From April 1999 to April 2001, prevalences of both food insecurity and hunger increased, and these increases were statistically significant. 4 Thus, the April 2001 survey confirms that the observed increases in food insecurity and hunger from April 1999 to December 2001 represented genuine changes from 1999 to 2001 and were not artifacts of the month in which surveys were conducted. Throughout this section, therefore, statistics from the December 2001 survey are compared with those from April The prevalence of food insecurity rose from 10.1 percent in 1999 to 10.7 percent in 2001 and the prevalence of food insecurity with hunger rose from 3.0 percent to 3.3 percent (table 1). The number of food-insecure households increased from 10.5 million in 1999 to 11.5 million in 2001, an increase of 9.4 percent, and the number of households that were food insecure with hunger rose from 3.1 million to 3.5 million during the 2-year period, an increase of 12.9 percent. (During this period, the total number of households in the Nation grew by 3.0 percent.) The prevalence of food insecurity with hunger among children was unchanged from 1999 to Prevalence rates of food insecurity were 10.1 percent in April 1999, 10.6 percent in April 2001, and 10.7 percent in December 2001; corresponding rates of food insecurity with hunger were 3.0, 3.4, and 3.3 percent. 4 Household Food Security in the United States, 2001/FANRR-29 Economic Research Service/USDA

10 Table 1 Prevalence of food security, food insecurity, and hunger by year Food insecure Unit Total 1 Food secure All Without hunger With hunger 1,000 1,000 Percent 1,000 Percent 1,000 Percent 1,000 Percent Households ,309 91, , , , ,684 94, , , , ,043 94, , , , ,824 96, , , , All individuals (by food security status of household) , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , Adults (by food security status of household) , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , Food insecure Without hunger With hunger Total 1 Food secure All among children among children 1,000 1,000 Percent 1,000 Percent 1,000 Percent 1,000 Percent Households with children ,036 31, , , ,884 32, , , ,113 31, , , ,330 32, , , Children (by food security status of household) ,282 57, , , ,418 59, , , ,763 58, , , ,321 59, , , Totals exclude households whose food security status is unknown because they did not give a valid response to any of the questions in the food security scale. In 2001, these represented 353,000 households (0.3 percent of all households.) 2 The food security survey measures food security status at the household level. Not all individuals residing in food-insecure households are appropriately characterized as food insecure. Similarly, not all individuals in households classified as food insecure with hunger nor all children in households classified as food insecure with hunger among children were subject to reductions in food intake or experienced resource-constrained hunger. Sources: Calculated by ERS using data from the August 1998, April 1999, September 2000, and December 2001 Current Population Survey Food Security Supplements. Economic Research Service/USDA Household Food Security in the United States, 2001/FANRR-29 5

11 Prevalence of Food Insecurity and Hunger Conditions and Trends, by Selected Household Characteristics The prevalence of food insecurity and hunger varied considerably among household types (table 2). Rates of food insecurity were well below the national average of 10.7 percent for households with more than one adult and no children (6.0 percent) and for households with elderly persons (5.5 percent). 5 Rates of food insecurity substantially higher than the national average were registered by the following groups: households with incomes below the official poverty line (36.5 percent), 6 households with children, headed by a single woman (31.9 percent), Black households (21.3 percent), and Hispanic households (21.8 percent). Overall, households with children reported food insecurity at more than double the rate for households without children (16.1 vs. 7.7 percent). Among households with children, those with married-couple families showed the lowest rate of food insecurity (10.7 percent). 5 Elderly in this report refers to persons age 65 and older. 6 The Federal poverty line was $17,960 for a family of four in The prevalence of food insecurity for households located in central cities (13.9 percent) and nonmetropolitan areas (11.5 percent) substantially exceeded the rate for households in suburbs and other metropolitan areas outside central cities (8.3 percent). Regionally, the prevalence of food insecurity was higher in the South and West (12.3 and 11.9 percent, respectively) than in the Northeast and Midwest (8.2 and 9.0 percent). The prevalence of hunger in various types of households followed a pattern similar to that observed for food insecurity. Hunger rates were lowest for married couples with children (2.1 percent), multiple-adult households with no children (2.1 percent), and households with elderly persons (1.5 percent). Hunger rates were higher than the 3.3 percent national average among families headed by single women (8.7 percent), Black and Hispanic households (6.2 and 5.4 percent, respectively), and households below the poverty line (12.9 percent). Geographically, hunger was more common in central-city households (4.8 percent) and in those in the South and West (3.6 and 3.7 percent, respectively). Households showing the lowest rates of hunger among children were married-couple families, single maleheaded households, and households with higher incomes (table 3). Children living with a single mother were more affected by resource-constrained hunger, as were Black and Hispanic children. 6 Household Food Security in the United States, 2001/FANRR-29 Economic Research Service/USDA

12 Table 2 Prevalence of food security, food insecurity, and hunger by selected household characteristics, 2001 Food insecure Category Total 1 Food secure All Without hunger With hunger 1,000 1,000 Percent 1,000 Percent 1,000 Percent 1,000 Percent All households 107,824 96, , , , Household composition With children < 18 38,330 32, , , , With children < 6 16,850 13, , , Married-couple families 26,182 23, , , Female head, no spouse 9,080 6, , , Male head, no spouse 2,389 2, Other household with child With no children < 18 69,495 64, , , , More than one adult 40,791 38, , , Women living alone 16,513 14, , Men living alone 12,192 10, , With elderly 24,836 23, , , Elderly living alone 10,390 9, Race/ethnicity of households White non-hispanic 80,337 74, , , , Black non-hispanic 13,134 10, , , Hispanic 3 9,864 7, , , Other non-hispanic 4,489 4, Household income-to-poverty ratio Under ,693 7, , , , Under ,904 11, , , , Under ,395 18, , , , and over 63,851 60, , , Income unknown 18,579 17, , Area of residence Inside metropolitan area 86,945 77, , , , In central city 4 26,701 22, , , , Not in central city 4 45,380 41, , , , Outside metropolitan area 20,879 18, , , Census geographic region Northeast 20,320 18, , , Midwest 25,063 22, , , South 38,867 34, , , , West 23,575 20, , , Totals exclude households whose food security status is unknown because they did not give a valid response to any of the questions in the food security scale. In 2001, these represented 353,000 households (0.3 percent of all households.) 2 Households with children in complex living arrangements, e.g., children of other relatives or unrelated roommate or boarder. 3 Hispanics may be of any race. 4 Metropolitan area subtotals do not add to metropolitan area totals because central-city residence is not identified for about 17 percent of households in metropolitan statistical areas. Source: Calculated by ERS using data from the December 2001 Current Population Survey Food Security Supplement. Economic Research Service/USDA Household Food Security in the United States, 2001/FANRR-29 7

13 Table 3 Prevalence of food security, food insecurity, and hunger in households with children by selected household characteristics, 2001 Food insecure Without hunger With hunger Category Total 1 Food secure All among children among children 1,000 1,000 Percent 1,000 Percent 1,000 Percent 1,000 Percent All households with children 38,330 32, , , Household composition: With children < 6 16,850 13, , , Married-couple families 26,182 23, , , Female head, no spouse 9,080 6, , , Male head, no spouse 2,389 2, Other household with child Race/ethnicity of households White non-hispanic 25,088 22, , , Black non-hispanic 5,733 4, , , Hispanic 3 5,560 4, , , Other non-hispanic 1,949 1, Household income-to-poverty ratio Under ,630 3, , , Under ,608 4, , , Under ,719 7, , , and over 21,411 20, , , Income unknown 5,200 4, Area of residence Inside metropolitan area 31,238 26, , , In central city 4 8,978 6, , , Not in central city 4 16,986 14, , , Outside metropolitan area 7,091 5, , , Census geographic region Northeast 6,864 6, Midwest 8,737 7, , , South 13,892 11, , , West 8,836 7, , , Individuals in households with children All individuals in households with children 153, , , , Adults in households with children 81,241 68, , , Children 72,321 59, , , Totals exclude households whose food security status is unknown because they did not give a valid response to any of the questions in the food security scale. In 2001, these represented 148,000 households with children (0.4 percent.) 2 Households with children in complex living arrangements, e.g., children of other relatives or unrelated roommate or boarder. 3 Hispanics may be of any race. 4 Metropolitan area subtotals do not add to metropolitan area totals because central-city residence is not identified for about 17 percent of households in metropolitan statistical areas. Source: Calculated by ERS using data from the December 2001 Current Population Survey Food Security Supplement. 8 Household Food Security in the United States, 2001/FANRR-29 Economic Research Service/USDA

14 The increases in food insecurity and hunger from 1999 to 2001 appear to have affected most regions and types of households. The prevalence of food insecurity increased for all regions except the Northeast, and for all types of households except single fathers with children, individuals living alone, households with elderly, and households with incomes below 130 percent of the poverty line (fig. 2). Few of the changes were statistically significant, but except as noted, the observed rates of food insecurity increased for all groups analyzed. Changes in the prevalence of food insecurity with hunger were less consistent across household types, with small, statistically insignificant changes for most groups (fig. 3). Figure 2 Prevalence of food insecurity, 1999 and 2001 All households Household composition With children < 18 With children < 6 Married-couple families Female head, no spouse Male head, no spouse With no children < 18 More than one adult Women living alone Men living alone With elderly Elderly living alone Race/ethnicity of households White non-hispanic Black non-hispanic Hispanic Other non-hispanic Household income-to-poverty ratio Under 1.00 Under 1.30 Under and over Area of residence Inside metropolitan area In central city Not in central city Outside metropolitan area Census geographic region Northeast Midwest South West Percent of households Source: Calculated by ERS based on Current Population Survey Food Security Supplement data, April 1999 and December Economic Research Service/USDA Household Food Security in the United States, 2001/FANRR-29 9

15 Figure 3 Prevalence of hunger, 1999 and 2001 All households Household composition With children < 18 With children < 6 Married-couple families Female head, no spouse Male head, no spouse With no children < 18 More than one adult Women living alone Men living alone With elderly Elderly living alone Race/ethnicity of households White non-hispanic Black non-hispanic Hispanic Other non-hispanic Household income-to-poverty ratio Under 1.00 Under 1.30 Under and over Area of residence Inside metropolitan area In central city Not in central city Outside metropolitan area Census geographic region Northeast Midwest South West Percent of households Source: Calculated by ERS based on Current Population Survey Food Security Supplement data, April 1999 and December Household Food Security in the United States, 2001/FANRR-29 Economic Research Service/USDA

16 Food Insecurity and Hunger in Low-Income Households Food insecurity and hunger, as reported here, are by definition conditions that result from insufficient household resources. In 2001, food insecurity was six times as prevalent, and hunger seven times as prevalent, in households with annual income below 185 percent of the poverty line as in households with income above that range (table 2). However, many factors that might affect a household s food security (such as job loss, divorce, or other unexpected events) are not captured by an annual income measure. Some households experienced episodes of food insecurity, or even hunger, even though their annual income was well above the poverty line (Gundersen and Gruber, 2001). On the other hand, many low-income households (including almost two-thirds of those with income below the official poverty line) were food secure. Table 4 presents food security and hunger statistics for households with annual incomes below 130 percent of the poverty line. 7 Almost one-third of these lowincome households were food insecure, and in 10.9 percent, household members experienced hunger at times during the year. Low-income households with children were more affected by food insecurity than households without children (41.4 percent vs percent), although the prevalence of hunger differed only slightly between the two categories. Low-income single mothers with children were especially vulnerable to both food insecurity and hunger; 45.5 percent of these households were food insecure, including 13.2 percent in which one or more persons, usually the mother, experienced hunger at times during the year because of lack of money or other resources for food. 7 Households with income below 130 percent of the poverty line are eligible to receive food stamps, provided they meet other eligibility criteria. Children in these households are eligible for free meals in the National School Lunch and School Breakfast Programs. Economic Research Service/USDA Household Food Security in the United States, 2001/FANRR-29 11

17 Table 4 Prevalence of food security, food insecurity, and hunger in households with income below 130 percent of the poverty line by selected household characteristics, 2001 Food insecure Category Total 1 Food secure All Without hunger With hunger 1,000 1,000 Percent 1,000 Percent 1,000 Percent 1,000 Percent All low-income households 16,904 11, , , , Household composition With children < 18 7,608 4, , , With children < 6 4,037 2, , , Married-couple families 3,080 1, , Female head, no spouse 3,806 2, , , Male head, no spouse Other household with child With no children < 18 9,296 6, , , More than one adult 3,888 3, Women living alone 3,475 2, Men living alone 1,933 1, With elderly 4,223 3, Elderly living alone 2,206 1, Race/ethnicity of households White non-hispanic 9,116 6, , , Black non-hispanic 3,750 2, , , Hispanic 3 3,214 2, , Other non-hispanic Area of residence Inside metropolitan area 12,644 8, , , , In central city 4 5,413 3, , , Not in central city 4 4,548 3, , Outside metropolitan area 4,260 2, , Census geographic region Northeast 2,605 1, Midwest 3,519 2, , South 6,909 4, , , West 3,871 2, , Individuals in low-income households (by food security status of household) All individuals in low-income households 45,941 29, , , , Adults in low-income households 29,577 20, , , , Children in low-income households 16,364 9, , , , Totals exclude households whose income was not reported (about 17 percent of households), and those whose food security status is unknown because they did not give a valid response to any of the questions in the food security scale (0.7 percent of low-income households). 2 Households with children in complex living arrangements, e.g., children of other relatives or unrelated roommate or boarder. 3 Hispanics may be of any race. 4 Metropolitan area subtotals do not add to metropolitan area totals because central-city residence is not identified for about 17 percent of households in metropolitan statistical areas. Source: Calculated by ERS using data from the December 2001 Current Population Survey Food Security Supplement. 12 Household Food Security in the United States, 2001/FANRR-29 Economic Research Service/USDA

18 Number of Persons by Household Food Security Status and Household Type The food security survey is designed to measure food security status at the household level. While it is informative to examine the number of persons residing in food-insecure households, these estimates should not be used to characterize the number of individuals affected by food insecurity and hunger; not all persons in food-insecure households are food insecure. Similarly, people who live in households classified as food insecure with hunger, especially young children, are not all subject to reductions in food intake and do not all experience hunger. In 2001, 33.6 million people lived in food-insecure households, up from 31.0 million in 1999 (table 1). They constituted 12.2 percent of the U.S. population and included 20.9 million adults and 12.7 million children. Of these individuals, 6.1 million adults and 3 million children lived in households where someone experienced hunger during the year. The number of children living in households classified as food insecure with hunger among children was 467,000 (0.6 percent of the children in the Nation; table 1). Tables 5 and 6 present estimates of the total number of individuals and the number of children in the households in each food security status and household type. Economic Research Service/USDA Household Food Security in the United States, 2001/FANRR-29 13

19 Table 5 Number of individuals by food security status of households and selected household characteristics, 2001 Food insecure Category Total 1 Food secure All Without hunger With hunger 1,000 1,000 Percent 1,000 Percent 1,000 Percent 1,000 Percent All individuals in households 276, , , , , Household composition With children < , , , , , With children < 6 71,158 58, , , , Married-couple families 112,206 98, , , , Female head, no spouse 30,659 20, , , , Male head, no spouse 8,004 6, , , Other household with child 2 2,692 2, With no children < , , , , , More than one adult 94,395 88, , , , Women living alone 16,513 14, , Men living alone 12,192 10, , With elderly 47,346 44, , , Elderly living alone 10,390 9, Race/ethnicity of households White non-hispanic 195, , , , , Black non-hispanic 34,532 26, , , , Hispanic 3 33,920 25, , , , Other non-hispanic 13,042 11, , , Household income-to-poverty ratio Under ,202 19, , , , Under ,941 29, , , , Under ,784 48, , , , and over 162, , , , , Income unknown 44,446 40, , , , Area of residence Inside metropolitan area 224, , , , , In central city 4 66,314 55, , , , Not in central city 4 120, , , , , Outside metropolitan area 51,888 45, , , , Census geographic region Northeast 52,121 47, , , , Midwest 63,498 57, , , , South 97,558 83, , , , West 63,483 54, , , , Totals exclude individuals in households whose food security status is unknown because they did not give a valid response to any of the questions in the food security scale. In 2001, these represented 951,000 individuals (0.3 percent of all individuals.) 2 Households with children in complex living arrangements, e.g., children of other relatives or unrelated roommate or boarder. 3 Hispanics may be of any race. 4 Metropolitan area subtotals do not add to metropolitan area totals because central-city residence is not identified for about 17 percent of households in metropolitan statistical areas. Source: Calculated by ERS using data from the December 2001 Current Population Survey Food Security Supplement. 14 Household Food Security in the United States, 2001/FANRR-29 Economic Research Service/USDA

20 Table 6 Number of children by food security status of households and selected household characteristics, 2001 Food insecure Without hunger With hunger Category Total 1 Food secure All among children among children 1,000 1,000 Percent 1,000 Percent 1,000 Percent 1,000 Percent All children 72,321 59, , , Household composition With children < 6 35,818 28, , , Married-couple families 51,347 44, , , Female head, no spouse 16,170 10, , , Male head, no spouse 3,699 3, Other household with child 2 1, Race/ethnicity of households White non-hispanic 45,852 40, , , Black non-hispanic 10,825 7, , , Hispanic 3 11,961 8, , , Other non-hispanic 3,683 3, Household income-to-poverty ratio Under ,273 6, , , Under ,364 9, , , Under ,609 15, , , and over 38,048 35, , , Income unknown 9,663 8, , , Area of residence Inside metropolitan area 59,136 48, , , In central city 4 17,239 12, , , Not in central city 4 32,105 27, , , Outside metropolitan area 13,185 10, , , Census geographic region Northeast 13,179 11, , , Midwest 16,901 14, , , South 24,885 19, , , West 17,356 13, , , Totals exclude children in households whose food security status is unknown because they did not give a valid response to any of the questions in the food security scale. In 2001, these represented 306,000 children (0.4 percent.) 2 Households with children in complex living arrangements, e.g., children of other relatives or unrelated roommate or boarder. 3 Hispanics may be of any race. 4 Metropolitan area subtotals do not add to metropolitan area totals because central-city residence is not identified for about 17 percent of households in metropolitan statistical areas. Source: Calculated by ERS using data from the December 2001 Current Population Survey Food Security Supplement. Economic Research Service/USDA Household Food Security in the United States, 2001/FANRR-29 15

21 Prevalence of Food Insecurity and Hunger by State, Prevalence rates of food insecurity and hunger varied considerably from State to State. Data for 3 years, , were combined to provide more reliable statistics at the State level (table 7). Measured prevalence rates of food insecurity during this 3-year period ranged from 6.5 percent in New Hampshire to 14.6 percent in New Mexico; measured prevalence rates of hunger ranged from 1.5 percent in Virginia to 5.8 percent in Oregon. The margins of error for the State prevalence rates should be taken into consideration when interpreting these statistics and especially when comparing across States. Margins of error reflect sampling variation the uncertainty associated with estimates that are based on information from only a limited number of households in each State. The margins of error presented in table 7 indicate the range (above or below the estimated prevalence rate) within which the true prevalence rate is 90 percent certain to fall. In some States, margins of error were nearly 2 percentage points for estimated prevalence rates of food insecurity and larger than 1 percentage point for estimated prevalence rates of hunger. For example, the prevalence rate of food insecurity in New Mexico was 14.6 percent, plus or minus 1.75 percentage points. Considering the margin of error, it is not clear (statistically significant) that the rate of food insecurity in New Mexico was higher than that of the States with the next 10 highest prevalence rates of food insecurity. These State-level food security statistics cannot be compared directly with those published previously by ERS in Prevalence of Food Insecurity and Hunger, by State, (Nord et al., 1999) because of changes over the years in screening procedures used to reduce respondent burden in the CPS food security surveys. Appendix D provides prevalence rates for the earlier period that have been adjusted for these screening differences so as to be comparable with those for Household Food Security in the United States, 2001/FANRR-29 Economic Research Service/USDA